Medical equipment used at a patient's bedside may cause the patient distress for a variety of reasons. Medical equipment may have bright lights that affect the patient's ability to rest and sleep. Medical equipment may also have complicated appearing components that are intimidating for patients, further adding to the patient's anxiety.
Medical equipment may be particularly daunting for patients that are children. The clinical appearance of indicator lights, IV fluid bags, tubes and the like may be frightening to children. Clinical settings that treat children have gone to great lengths to make the environment less stressful to improve patient cooperation, treatment tolerance, and recuperation. Clinical settings such as doctor's offices, hospital rooms, and treatment rooms may employ paint, murals, decorations, and toys to improve the experience for the child and help them cope with treatment. However, the medical equipment itself such as monitors, hospital beds, gas supply devices, and the like remain an intimidating and stress-inducing necessity in medical settings.